Major changes are on the horizon in Niger with the handover of the last American military site, scheduled for Monday, marking the end of the presence of American forces in the country. This decision follows an agreement between the Nigerien authorities and the United States, setting a deadline of September 15 for the withdrawal of American troops. Airbase 201, located in the city of Agadez, is one of two sites used by the United States for its counterterrorism operations in Niger. Last month, US troops withdrew from Airbase 101, a small drone base in the Nigerien capital, Niamey.
This news also comes with the departure of German troops this month. These withdrawals are part of a broader movement of departure of Western forces from the Sahel, a vast region south of the Sahara desert where groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State operate.
After the coups in Mali in 2020 and Burkina Faso in 2022, Niger experienced a military takeover in 2023, leading to the establishment of a common policy with its neighbors to expel foreign troops and adopt a firm position towards France and its allies.
Aneliese Bernard, director of Strategic Stabilization Advisors, a Washington, D.C.-based risk management consulting group with teams on the ground across the Sahel and the West African coast, points out that although counterterrorism operations led by Western powers in the region pose a problem, the absence of French, European and American forces in Niger will create a huge security vacuum, impacting everything from business in the Sahel to humanitarian aid.
She stresses that the major challenge ahead lies in how the Nigerien junta will approach partnerships in the future, particularly regarding access to natural resources. The recent revocation of the permit of the French fuel producer Orano to operate one of the country’s largest uranium mines by the Nigerien government is one example.
As rumors circulate about American and Canadian companies talking to SOPAMIN, the Nigerien company responsible for uranium mines, about their work in Niger, Bernard warns of the disastrous impacts of the security vacuum on citizens. most vulnerable in a country already among the poorest in the world.
In this context, she underlines that NGOs must now be accompanied by military escort when they intervene outside large cities, thus exposing them to attacks by armed groups in conflict with the army. This situation risks encouraging many NGOs to limit their interventions outside the main cities, thus depriving populations in peripheral areas of access to humanitarian aid..
Ultimately, the departure of foreign forces from Niger leaves a security vacuum and raises questions about the future of partnerships, the management of natural resources, and the protection of vulnerable populations. It is crucial that Nigerien authorities make thoughtful and balanced decisions to ensure the stability and well-being of their country and its people.